Embedding Urban Climatology into Local Climate Change Strategies: A Comparative Global Perspective

Transcription

1 Embedding Urban Climatology into Local Climate Change Strategies: A Comparative Global Perspective RSA Localism: Sufficient and fit for purpose? Manchester, UK 3 November, 2011 Brian Webb brian.webb@manchester.ac.uk Planning, School of Environment and Development University of Manchester, UK Research Sponsor: RES

2 OUTLINE The Project The Potential Contribution of Urban Climatology Comparing the Application of Urban Climatology Stuttgart Tokyo New York City Manchester Discussion and Conclusion

3 THE PROJECT Project title: Climate Science & Urban Design, a historical and comparative study in applied science Researchers: Michael Hebbert & Brian Webb School of Environment & Development, Faculty of Humanities Vladimir Jankovic Centre for History of Science Technology and Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences Duration: January November 2011

4 THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Climatology focuses mainly on macro-scale (continental, national, regional) weather Urban climatology, the study of small-scale urban weather, is a distinct sub-set science of climatology

5 THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Increasingly being used to study the livability of cities and to understand the impact of weather on urban environments A disconnect has often existed between the science of urban climatology and it s application in terms of local policy

6 THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Urban heat island effect is probably the most well known urban climatic phenomenon Other aspects include wind, humidity, ambient air temperature and precipitation The identification and protection of fresh air swathes is becoming a key issue in many cities

7 THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY There are various methods available to improve external urban comfort Permeable materials for roads, parking lots and sidewalks, the inclusion of trees and green roofs, reductions of internal building heat and improved building insulation Urban climatology is useful for both analysing where these interventions are needed as well as evaluating their effectiveness But it is a highly specialised discipline and therefore for it to be used in public policy there needs to be a link established

8 THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Is the challenge of climate change acting as an impetus for an increased use of urban climatology in public policy? If so, how is it being applied in local climate change strategies and by whom? Review of historical documents, policy documents and elite interviews with 64 practioners, academics, scientists and politicians

9 COMPARING THE APPLICATION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY The response of cities to climate change has been shown to be variable and dependent on four key considerations (Alber and Kern 2008, 2) the impact of global climate change at local level a city s competences and authority to regulate climate-relevant issue areas national programmes which support local initiatives the involvement of cities in national and transnational networks

10 COMPARING THE APPLICATION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Modes of urban climate governance (Bulkeley and Kern 2006, 2242) Mode% Description% Application% Self%governing, The,capacity,of,local, government,to,govern,its, own,activities, Undertaken,through, reorganisation,, institutional,innovation, Governing,by,provision, Governing,by,authority, Governing,through, enabling,, The,shaping,of,practice, through,the,delivery,of, particular,forms,of,service, and,resource, The,use,of,traditional, forms,of,authority, The,role,of,local, government,in,facilitating,, co%ordinating,and, encouraging,action, through,partnership,with, private%,and,voluntary% sector,agencies,,and,to, various,forms,of, community,engagement, and,strategic,investments, Utilises,infrastructure,and, financial,mechanisms, Imposition,of,regulations, and,sanctions, Persuasion,and,the,use,of, incentives,

11 COMPARING THE APPLICATION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Key Considerations Impact of global climate change City s competences and authority to regulate climate- relevant issue areas National programmes which support local initiatives Involvement of cities in national and transnational networks Local Government Modes of Urban Climate Governance Self- governing Governing by provision Governing by authority Governing through enabling Variable policy approaches Application of Urban Climatology

12 COMPARING THE APPLICATION OF URBAN CLIMATOLOGY Case study cities Stuttgart, Germany Tokyo, Japan New York City, USA Manchester, UK Cities of varying size and institutional structure All with initiatives for long-term resilience to CC All engaged in research partnerships with universities All concerned with knowledge transfer to action BUT fundamental differences in the application of urban climatology

13 STUTTGART Major German city, industrial, climate aware due to long-standing geographic concerns For over 70 years climate considerations have been part of public policy 1938 hired a municipal meteorologist 1953 city approved Regulations for the Implementation of Functions in Climatology 1978 Contributions to Urban Development 70s, 80s, 90s development of burning ban regulations 1990 Structure Plan, development of a Climate Atlas

14 STUTTGART Climate Atlas Guidance-based document composed of written analysis and maps of the city s climate Maps eleven climatopes within the city and provides land-use advice Complemented by categorisation of aerotopes Translates complex meteorological data into a form planners and politicians can understand and use Highly institutionalised Climate Atlas are now being used in over 20 different countries

15 STUTTGART

16 STUTTGART

17 STUTTGART Climate Booklet for Urban Development Comprehensive guidelines for climate aware planning practices Façade greening of buildings The role of green roofs Local air exchange guidelines Optimal arrangement of buildings and trees Traffic planning guidelines On the 1 st of January 1977, the German Federal Construction Law (now called the Federal Building Code) was revised to include air and climate as factors that must be considered during the planning process Mapping techniques used in Stuttgart adopted as a German national standard

18 TOKYO City of 13 million people, 34 million in wider metropolis Climate concerns have become an increasingly problem Temperate has risen 3 degree Celsius since 1900, double the rate of NYC Increasing energy issues due to hot climate and high use of air conditioning Sea breezes and urban heat island have become common knowledge among citizens Japan Meteorological Agency have published 7 urban heat island-related reports since 2004 High-rise buildings have weakened the sea breeze system

19 TOKYO Tokyo s Big Change: The 10-Year Plan The Environmentally Advanced City Variety of urban regeneration initiatives, but key policy seeks to protect and create strategic breeze paths 2002, Japanese Prime Minister initiated an urban renaissance programme as part of stimulus package Incentives for large projects and deregulation of bureaucratic controls triggering a building boom Tokyo used to restrict building height to 31 metres, new heights now exceed 200 metres Consequences for cooling sea breezes New tall buildings policy Building alignments north-south Height bonuses provided if wind-paths protected Non-mandatory, updated in cooperation with academic institutions

20 TOKYO Urban Heat Island also a major concern Tokyo Green Building Program Thermal Environment Map used to develop Guidelines for Heat Island Control Measures Wall Greening Guidelines In cooperation with academic researchers, the city has created the METROS network

21 TOKYO Despite most of the urban climate policies being guidelines these initiatives are being embraced by developers as a basic aspect of corporate responsibility At the national level, there is an inter-ministerial steering group that is responsible for urban heat island policy Intense amount of study on urban climate, high public and political acknowledgement

22 NEW YORK CITY Compared to other U.S. cities, latecomer to urban environmental push Historically interested in urban climate though, Mayor John Lindsay (1965) employed meteorologists, set up NYC weather station network 1967, built partnership with scientists at Columbia, NYU Bronx and Cooper Union but in 1980s - weather stations dismantled, NYU Bronx campus close Federal climate policy has been largely absent in the U.S., led to more active State and municipal action

23 NEW YORK CITY Only since election of Mayor Michael Bloomberg has New York City pursued a coherent environmental agenda Signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement Elected chair of the C40, Large Cities Climate Leadership Group In 2007, published PlaNYC Concerns of climate change projections Deal with projected population growth Aging infrastructure Reduce GHG emissions by 30% by 2030

24 PlaNYC Partnership approach NEW YORK CITY 25 city agencies consulted and charged with delivery Organised through Mayor s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability Pragmatic approach, large number of small scale interventions Lack of explicit use of urban climatology Implicit use in terms of issues of urban heat island, Green Codes task Force, million trees initiative Focus on translating climate measures into regulations that can be enforced Institutional capacity is dispersed, works because of abundance and variety of expert knowledge and enthusiasm

25 MANCHESTER Historically very concerned about climate Post-war reconstruction plan of 1945 saw massive deindustrialisation and continued a push away from the city towards the suburbs that started with the Garden City movement Region now consists of ten local councils, 2.6 million people Governance changes, first Association of Greater Manchester Authorities and as of April 2011 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Climate change push largely came from UK Government Climate Change Act UK Low Carbon Transition Plan UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) Most important target was national indicator 188

26 MANCHESTER Institutional capacity largely remains Green City Team In house GIS External engagement Lack of resources and authority hinders ability, approach is fragmented and reliant on external knowledge and capacity Led to a pilot / demonstration project approach Key engagement with University of Manchester EcoCities Programme, carried out a Local Climate Impact Profile as evidence-base Proven critical to modeling of climate change scenarios and understanding the impact of policy approaches BUT no focus on urban climatology, policy analysis is sectoral and localised

27 MANCHESTER Localism drive has created uncertainty about target-driven planning and coordination Greater Manchester integration is still fragile Local authorities in the city-region still differ on environmental policy Budget constraints may push towards more integration though

28 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION General tendency focus on guidance based approaches to the integration of urban climatology Reluctance to use regulatory mechanisms Stuttgart and Tokyo have developed the institutional capacity necessary to apply urban climatology to local policy Public and political support has enabled this New York and Manchester rely more on enabling partnerships, external capacity rather then a strong internal capacity Lack explicit urban climatology focus While concerns of urban heat island effects and other climate issues are common the approaches taken to dealing with them are variable

29 THANK YOU